In the past, it has been recognized that traumatic injuries which involve the bones of the pelvis present a substantial risk to the health of the involved patient. In fact, it is not uncommon that injuries of this nature can be life-threatening or even fatal. In general terms, injuries to the pelvic bones may be classified as fractures, or injuries where the bones or the pelvis are actually broken, or diastasis, where adjacent bones are separated without actual breakage of the bones.
Regardless of whether a particular pelvic injury involves a fracture or diastasis, there is generally a substantial risk of associated internal bleeding. Internal bleeding of this type may be quite severe and, often, quite difficult to detect. As a result, there are many cases of patient mortality that result from internal bleeding caused by injury to the pelvic bones.
Practice has demonstrated that there are several effective techniques for control of internal bleeding resulting from injury to the bones of the pelvis. In fact, it is often the case that simple immobilization of the patient will often reduce internal blood loss, giving the attending medical personnel greater time in which to treat the effected bone structure. Unfortunately, total immobilization of the patient may be both impractical and undesirable. For example, it is often the case that a patient will need to be adjusted in a range of differing positions so that required X-ray images may be obtained. In cases where the patient has an injury to the bones of the pelvis, however, there is an ever present danger that each of these manipulations will result in increased internal bleeding and increased risk to the health of the patient.
Practice has also shown that blood loss associated with injury to the bones of the patient may be reduced by manual compression of the pelvis. For manual compression, an attendant, or attendants, manually apply pressure to the patient's hips, forcing the bones of the pelvis together and reducing blood loss in areas where the pelvic bones have separated. Generally, manual compression is useful when a patient must be positioned or manipulated during the process of obtaining X-rays. Unfortunately, there is a tendency for the attendant's protective gloves and hands to interfere with the X-ray imaging process. As a result, the quality of the X-ray images may be reduced, or the effectiveness of the manual compression may be compromised. Further, it is known that in order to effectively stop internal bleeding by compression will require forces of approximately five hundred pounds, or more.
Another technique that has been developed to reduce internal bleeding associated with injury to the bones of the pelvis is the use of a pelvic clamp. Clamps of this type generally resemble "C" clamps of the type used by carpenters. Unlike the carpenter's "C" clamp, however, pelvic clamps include a pair of rods, or screws, which are intended to be inserted into the innominate bone of the pelvis. Functionally, application of a pelvic clamp begins with insertion of the rods into the hip bones of the patient. Once the rods are inserted, the clamp applies pressure to each of the rods, compressing the bones of the pelvis against each other.
Use of the pelvic clamp has proven to be an effective method for reduction of internal bleeding. Unfortunately, there are a number of disadvantages which are generally associated with use of clamps of this type. For example, it is easily appreciated that application of the clamp is an invasive, traumatic procedure which requires the creation of large stab wounds for the insertion of the rods into the patient's hip bones. Additionally, the application of the clamp necessarily results in a certain degree of trauma to the innominate bone at the points where the rods are inserted. Application of the pelvic clamp also presents a risk of more serious injury to the patient. More specifically, it has been established that mis-insertion of the rods can result in damage to the nervous and vascular systems associated with the pelvis. In either case, there may be serious health implications for the involved patient. Further, a significant draw back of the "C" clamp is that it is not radio luscent. Finally, it is also the case that the pelvic clamp is itself a bulky apparatus which makes manipulation of the patient, as well as access to the patient, problematic. This is especially true where the desired course of treatment requires that the clamp be left in position during abdominal or pelvic surgery.
Unfortunately, due to the disadvantages inherent in the use of pelvic clamps, there is a tendency to restrict the use of clamps of this type to situations where the attending personnel have verified that an appropriate injury exists. Verification of such an injury may, of course, require additional time and thus delay or complicate treatment of the patient. The disadvantages inherent in the use of pelvic clamps also tend to limit their use to situations where an orthopedic surgeon or other highly-trained person is available to perform the procedure necessary for application of the clamp. In cases where an orthopedic surgeon is not available, application of the clamp may be delayed with possible negative health implications for the patient.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a non-invasive device for anatomical reduction of the pelvic bones of a patient which can generate compressive forces on the patient which are greater than five hundred pounds, and which may be applied to the patient with minimal traumatic side-effects. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for anatomical reduction of the pelvic bones of a patient which does not interfere with subsequent manipulation of the patient. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for anatomical reduction of the pelvic bones of a patient which may be left in-situ during surgical procedures involving the abdomen or the pelvis or during the gathering of required X-ray images. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device for anatomical reduction of the pelvic bones of a patient which minimized the training required for proper usage. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device for anatomical reduction of the pelvic bones of a patient which is simple to use, relatively easy to manufacture and comparatively cost effective.